The next morning came with a soft breeze and a sun that looked far too smug for how early it was. David had just slipped on his boots, ready to head out for another glorious day of "mystery zone adventuring," when Ling Qi stepped out from behind a tree like some sort of campsite ninja and blocked his path.
"You're not going anywhere," Ling Qi said, arms crossed.
David blinked. "What? Why not?"
"The deeper parts of the Mystery Zone aren't like the cozy lakefront we've been hanging around," Ling Qi explained, squinting suspiciously at David's backpack. "The Pokémon out there don't play nice. I don't care if you've got Pikachu and Ralts with you—you're grounded."
David deflated like a popped Poké Puff and slumped back into his folding chair. "So what now? Just...sit here and rot?"
With nothing better to do, he pulled out his phone and opened up a novel he'd downloaded before entering the Mystery Zone. Just as he was getting into it, Tom and Luna finished pitching their tents and wandered over.
"Wait—bro," Tom said, peering over David's shoulder. "Are you… using your phone out here? There's internet in the Mystery Zone now?"
David didn't even look up. "Nah, I'm just reading offline. Downloaded a few books before we came in."
Tom crouched next to him and peeked at the screen. "Let me see... 'Greatest Real Estate Developer'? What kind of title is that?"
"It's inspirational," David replied dryly. "Guy starts with nothing and ends up owning the continent. Just like how I plan to conquer this Mystery Zone."
Meanwhile, Luna was staring at the hamster cage sitting beside David. Inside it, Pikachu looked more done with life than usual.
Black lines practically formed on Luna's face. "Wait a second… Is that Pikachu in a hamster cage? You seriously brought that thing in here to lock up your partner?"
"Temporary containment," David said casually. "It keeps him out of trouble."
Luna didn't even respond. She just turned around, muttering something about reporting him to the Pokémon Welfare Association.
📢 [Obtained from Luna: -50 Negative Emotion Value]
📢 [Obtained from Pikachu: -50 Negative Emotion Value]
📢 [Obtained from Luna: -50 Negative Emotion Value]
📢 [Obtained from Pikachu: -50 Negative Emotion Value]
As more members of the adventure team emerged from their tents, Tom and Luna started getting breakfast ready. Surprisingly, thanks to Pikachu's electric output, many of the appliances Tom had lugged in were actually usable—blenders, cookers, even a tiny fridge.
"This is way better than yesterday's energy bars," Luna said, flipping a pancake. "Can't believe your weird gadgets are actually helping."
Tom looked personally offended. "Weird? What weird gadgets? I brought everything we could possibly need!"
Luna raised an eyebrow. "You brought an urn."
The entire camp paused mid-bite.
They all looked at Tom, then at the urn he'd stashed under a tarp. And then… everyone turned to David.
It was as if the entire group had just made the same horrible connection.
"Oh," one adventurer muttered. "Well, if David ends up dying, I guess that's... handy."
David stared at them all. "Wow. Thanks. Glad to know I inspire so much confidence."
Breakfast eventually ended, though the weird mood lingered. David wandered over to the lake to go fishing. Tom and Luna sat nearby, watching him in silence.
David yawned and tossed the line. "I swear, I'm the most useful one here and I'm grounded like a ten-year-old. Unreal."
Ling Qi, standing in the background with his arms folded, was still watching him like a hawk. Ever since yesterday's Ursaring poopocalypse, he had been ten times more paranoid.
Every time David even glanced at the forest edge, Ling Qi cleared his throat like a disapproving parent.
David muttered, "Can't believe this guy thinks I'm gonna start a war or something... I mean, yeah, Ursarings are mad, but that wasn't even my fault... entirely."
Ling Qi didn't say anything, but the moment David adjusted his fishing rod, the man took a threatening step forward.
David sighed and reeled the line in slowly. "Fine, I get it. No forest rampages. No wild expeditions. I'll just sit here and fish like a senior citizen on vacation."
Ling Qi stood at the edge of the campsite, arms folded and eyes locked on David, who sat not far away by the lake with a fishing rod in hand. The morning sunlight shimmered on the water, and David looked as peaceful as a retired grandpa at a countryside resort.
Ling Qi nodded to himself, deeply satisfied. "Perfect," he muttered. "Fishing. A quiet, safe, risk-free activity. No Ursaring stampedes. No psychic explosions. No stolen honey jars. Just... silence."
He even gave himself a mental pat on the back. This was peak babysitting strategy—let David fish to keep him busy, and more importantly, keep him out of trouble. If things went well, they might even catch a Gyarados. He chuckled to himself. "Yeah, good luck with that."
Down by the water, David was crouched over his fishing rod with the seriousness of a man about to uncover the meaning of life. He carefully attached a jelly-like bait block to the hook—he'd named it "Jet Block" for no good reason—and hurled the line into the lake with flair.
"Tom!" David called out excitedly to the bored figure beside him. "You think there's a Milotic in this lake?"
Tom, who had been doodling in the dirt with a stick, froze. "Bro, did you just say Milotic? With a fishing rod?"
David nodded, deadly serious. "Why not?"
"Because—" Tom sighed, rubbing his temples. "Because Milotic doesn't just show up like that. It's a rare Pokémon! We're in the outer edge of the Mystery Zone, not a legendary hot spring spa!"
David shrugged. "I mean, people catch regular fish with fishing rods all the time. Why can't I catch a Milotic?"
Tom gave him a look that could curdle milk. "You're comparing catching a Milotic to catching a flathead?"
"Exactly! Flathead, Magikarp, Milotic—it's just fishing."
Tom opened his mouth, then closed it. There were too many things wrong with that sentence.
Suddenly, the float on David's line dipped. His eyes lit up. "Fish on!"
He yanked the rod back, fighting against the pull like he was reeling in a whale. A red, scaly Pokémon leapt out of the water with dramatic flair. It hit the ground with a wet splat.
"Magikarp," Tom said flatly.
The fish flopped helplessly on the grass, flicking its fins and trying to somersault its way back to freedom. David crouched beside it and opened his system panel. It read:
[Magikarp – Potential: Professional. Strength: Below average. Attitude: Determined flopper.]
David stared at it. "Meh." Then, without ceremony, he nudged the Magikarp back into the water and reeled in his line to cast again.
And so it began.
Magikarp after Magikarp. Big ones, small ones, one that looked like it had lived through three world wars. The lake was apparently the official Magikarp retirement community.
As the sun sank lower, David sighed and leaned back in his chair. His muscles were sore from reeling in disappointment all day. "Is this a lake or a Magikarp breeding ground?"
He stretched lazily and glanced at his rod. That's when he noticed something strange.
"Magikarp-brand fishing rod?"
David squinted at the faint engraving. Sure enough, the rod had a tiny emblem that looked suspiciously like a smug Magikarp. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
He was about to chuck the rod in frustration when—suddenly—BAM!
The rod jerked violently in his hands.
"Whoa!" David gripped the handle with both hands, arms straining. "Okay, this is different!"
He yelled, "Tom! Come help! This isn't your everyday Magikarp!"
Tom looked up from his sand doodles, startled. "You sure?!"
"Unless Magikarp has started doing bicep curls, yes!"
The two of them grabbed the rod together and pulled with everything they had.
A massive red blur broke the surface of the lake. The Pokémon flew through the air in a glorious arc—and smacked Tom across the face with its tail.
SMACK.
The sound echoed across the lake like a gunshot.
Tom stumbled backward, eyes glazed. "What the—?!"
David gasped. "It's a super-sized Magikarp!"
The behemoth landed on the ground with a dramatic splash, flopping and spinning like a gymnast on their first day of training.
Tom was fuming. "That fish just slapped me in the face."
"It didn't mean it, probably."
"No. That fish meant it. That was a calculated strike."
Tom, still furious, took a step forward and shouted, "You wanna go, fish?!"
Then—BAM!—he booted the Magikarp high into the air.
"WAIT!" David shouted. "Don't—!"
Too late.
The Magikarp somersaulted in slow motion, flipping through the air like a majestic pancake, then crashed into the lake with a mighty sploosh.
David stared at the water, stunned. "I was gonna scan that one…"
Tom wiped his face, looking dazed. "What? Sorry, I blacked out for a second."
David's lips twitched. "No… It's fine. Totally fine. Just flushed a potential Gyarados down the lake drain."
"I think the lake hates us," Tom finally said.
David nodded solemnly. "The feeling is mutual."
****
Just when David was starting to lose hope and muttering something about opening a fried Magikarp stall, a blinding white light suddenly burst out from the center of the calm lake.
It wasn't just bright. It was nuke-your-eyeballs bright.
The kind of light that made you question whether you were being summoned by a legendary Pokémon or abducted by aliens.
"WHAT THE—?!" David staggered back, covering his face.
The light was so intense that the sun might as well have clocked out and gone home. Colors disappeared from the world. The sky turned white. The lake turned white. Even Tom's face, usually pale, turned extra pale.
And then… a shadow began to rise.
Slowly. Majestically. Horrifyingly.
A huge serpentine figure loomed beneath the water's surface. The shape grew larger, darker, and more ominous with every passing second.
Its glowing red eyes pierced through the light, locking straight onto Tom, who was already regretting his entire existence.
The water around the shape churned and hissed. The surface cracked and foamed as the beast broke free from the depths.
With a terrifying rumble, a three-pronged metallic-blue horn emerged from the water, gleaming like a crown forged at the bottom of the ocean.
And then—
BOOM.
The entire lake exploded as a gigantic blue Gyarados erupted from the water like a sea god having a bad day.
"...Oh," David whispered, slowly lowering his sunglasses which had been purely decorative up to now.
The monstrous Gyarados hovered above the lake surface, its serpentine body coiled and rising like a mountain of muscle and vengeance. Each breath from its flared nostrils sent shockwaves across the camp, rippling tents and knocking hats off heads.
Its scarlet eyes locked directly on Tom.
And oh boy, those were not friendly eyes.
"ROOOAAARRRRRRR!!!"
The Gyarados unleashed a roar that sounded like a skyscraper was being torn in half by a tornado.
Everyone—campers, Pokémon, trees, probably a few squirrels—froze.
From the distant camp, the entire adventure team turned their heads in unison.
David, with his usual casual timing, opened his system panel and scanned the beast:
[Gyarados (Water/Flying Type)]
Gender: ♂
Level: 24 (Common tier)
Ability: Intimidate – Lowers opponent's morale and performance.
Nature: Stubborn – Boosts Attack, lowers Special Attack.
IVs: HP (25), Attack (31), Special Attack (25), Defense (18), Special Defense (21), Speed (29)
Moves: Bite, Twister, Whirlpool, Ice Fang, Scary Face
Item: None
Potential: Quasi-Elite tier
Special Trait: Contains trace of ancient king gene (in evolutionary development), potential to become a Totem Pokémon.
Ling Qi nearly passed out from shock when he saw the Gyarados.
"We told you to go catch a fish! And you caught a Gyarados?! Are you insane?!"
Luna turned pale as a sheet. "I—I didn't sign up for this!"
The massive Gyarados glared murderously at Tom, who, to be fair, had just kicked it into the lake not five minutes ago.
David, meanwhile, tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Huh," he muttered. "This is basically James' Evolution Kick from the anime…"
Then his eyes slowly narrowed. "Come to think of it, Tom is kind of like James. Except without the rose, the hair dye, or the childhood trauma."
Tom, frozen in place and sweating bullets, turned toward David with the face of a man staring death in the face.
"Bro…" he whispered hoarsely. "What do we do now?"
David smiled calmly, clapped Tom on the shoulder, and replied:
"Tom, remember that urn you brought?"
Tom blinked. "...Yeah?"
"You might wanna open the lid and get ready."
[Negative Emotion Value +100 from Ling Qi...]
[Negative Emotion Value +50 from Luna...]
[Negative Emotion Value +90 from Tom...]
Everyone stared at David like he had grown two heads.
The timing. The delivery. The sheer nerve to crack a joke when a furious, god-tier sea dragon was ready to unleash hell.
Even Pikachu slowly facepalmed from inside his hamster cage.
"Dude," Tom whispered, still wide-eyed. "This is not the time for jokes!"
David simply leaned back and crossed his arms like a guy watching a fireworks show. "Hey, if I'm going down, I'm at least going down funny."
****
David pointed dramatically at the furious Gyarados standing like a sea god in the middle of the lake and shouted, "Pikachu! Time to meet our new scaly friend!"
Pikachu, who had just finished powering up some camping equipment and was hoping for a snack break, narrowed his eyes at the massive serpent. Its blue scales shimmered with rage, and its nostrils flared like it had just smelled something very wrong. Lightning crackled from Pikachu's cheeks as he stepped forward.
"Pika pika!" he growled, electricity arcing through the air. He didn't need David to tell him—something was very offabout this Gyarados.
And then it happened.
A second streak of white light shot up from the lake like a flashbang grenade had been detonated underwater. It wasn't just bright—it was ominously bright. Accompanying it was a sudden gust of foul air and a disturbing ripple of yellowish foam floating on the surface.
David's smile twitched. Then his expression dropped as a mechanical voice chirped in his ear:
[Negative emotion value +50 from Gyarados…]
[+60 from Gyarados…]
[+40 from Gyarados…]
David blinked. "Wait… I used the jet cube just for fish bait... not trauma!"
His hand trembled. Sweat formed at his brow. He muttered to himself, "Did I just invent Evolutionary laxatives?"
The blinding light dimmed slowly.
Gyarados was still there, hovering above the water. But now it looked angrier. Significantly angrier. Its glowing eyes were locked not on Tom—the poor guy who'd kicked it earlier—but directly on David.
Tom, feeling this wasn't quite his moment to gloat, chuckled and backed away casually.
David gave a weak laugh, then nudged Pikachu with his toe. "Hey, buddy… uh, time to show him who's boss?"
Pikachu, already ten meters away and absolutely not interested in being blown away by an angry lake monster, pointed directly at David with his tiny paw.
"Pika Pi!" (Translation: "This is 100% the trainer's fault. I was not involved!")
Tom chuckled darkly, arms crossed, watching the dozen other Gyarados rising behind the lead one like a dragon battalion.
"See, bro? Told you that urn I packed might come in handy."
Everyone nearby gave him a deadpan stare.
Seriously—who brings a funeral urn to a Pokémon expedition?
And suddenly—BOOM!
The massive Gyarados in front let out a thunderous roar, and all the others behind it followed suit.
Their mouths opened wide—unnaturally wide—and glowing beams of energy started forming inside.
David's eyes widened. "Oh come on! Is that...?"
He didn't even finish his sentence. He already knew.
Hyper Beams. Multiple Hyper Beams.
David's jaw dropped. "That's illegal! They're all like, level twenty-something! They're not allowed to know that move in this level!"
Even Ling Qi, the most experienced of the group, turned ghost white. He screamed toward the others, "Those are Hyper Beams! RUN!"
David clutched Ralts in his arms and yelled, "Ralts! Teleport! NOW!"
Ralts looked visibly disappointed. She had been so ready to steal the spotlight with a last-minute KO and some bonus EXP. But alas, orders were orders. She sighed and nodded.
The little red horns on her head lit up.
A soft psychic hum spread around them, wrapping the whole group—and their luggage—in a glowing blue field.
SHUA!
They disappeared just as the lake exploded behind them.
The moment they were gone, the Death Rays annihilated the camp, leaving behind a crater so deep you could probably rent it out as underground parking.
They reappeared somewhere dark. A cave. Damp, echoey, and echoing with the faint whispers of wind through the stone—eerily like the moans of ghosts who also had terrible luck.
Everyone was silent.
Ling Qi stood frozen, his face a canvas of exhaustion and trauma. He looked like someone who'd just been told his car had been hit by a Gyarados.
David, meanwhile, scratched his head and said casually, "Okay, let's not panic. It's just a minor incident. Totally survivable."
Luna glared at him. Tom stared like he'd seen a ghost. He was still holding the urn.
David pointed helpfully. "Blame Tom! He kicked the Magikarp. That's why it evolved!"
Tom's eyes bulged. "Hold on a second! You were literally the one fishing!"
"Yeah," David shrugged, "but you were the one who launched it into the lake like a football. Clearly, you provoked an ancient sea demon."
"I was angry!"
"And now look where that got us!"
Ling Qi groaned, rubbing his temples. "Please tell me this is just a dream."
Everyone slowly turned their heads toward Ling Qi.
David, smug as ever, nodded seriously. "You're the one who told me to fish. Don't act surprised I caught something amazing."
Ling Qi looked up at the damp cave ceiling, dead inside.
"God help me," he whispered, "he caught the anger of a whole Gyarados horde."